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Tuskfolk
Tuskfolk are residents of Kaltlandi, in the northwestern reaches of the world. Adult tuskfolk stand roughly six feet tall and weigh between 600 and 1,000 pounds. They resemble large, white-furred walruses that walk upright, with a slight hunch. Culture Tuskfolk as a race are best compared to the vikings: powerful explorers, sailors, warriors, merchants and pirates. They sail up and down the coasts of Kaltlandi in giant longships, trading their fish, weapons and treasures they find by diving deep into the sea. Some occasionally make trips into the lake-seas of Malogrian to purchase higher-quality lumber, while others travel down rivers and wind up in Gahnilim. Their settlements have a distinct nordic feel. Their structures are constructed from bound timbers sealed with a mixture of tar and sap. The centerpeice of any tuskfolk settlement is the vast longhall, where the tribe leader and his honour guard reside, and where townsfolk come to gather. Surrounding the longhall are the homes and shops of the villagers. The buildings beyond that house any kind of workshop that can't be integrated into a home. The tuskfolk use their swimming ability for a unique brand of piracy. Merchant ships often spot an immobile longship in the distance. They investigate, only to find that the ship is mysteriously empty. The tuskfolk then emerge from the water, surround the ship and use their boarding axes and great strength to climb the hull and catch its crew off guard. Relations Classes Tuskfolk make for excellent warriors; their low speed more than made up for by their incredible strength and endurance. Their large and often clumsy flipper-hands result in poor archers, and while there is no lack of intelligence discouraging them from becoming wizards, their hands often lack the manual dexterity required to both scibe and cast spells. Ironically, their language uses the draconic alphabet, as it is easy to write its letters with a chisel, and tuskfolk have invented a set of stamps which allow them to write on paper. Despite this, they still prefer to utilize raw and primal power, as opposed to extensive study. Those who do practice magic tend to be clerics of Maji or sorcerers with the aquatic bloodline. Religion Tuskfolk revere Maji, the Elemetal Spirit of water, and Hewa, the Elemental Spirit of air. They pray to these two for safe journeys across the sea. They also pay their respect to Raeldarst, the Divine frost dragon said to roost somewhere on the great glaceir Frostpull. Some also worship Eresteln, the tuskfolk cleric famous for his research into the effects of madness. It is said that on the Elemental Plane of Water, there is a massive iceberg known as Icehearth, where tuskfolk are believed to go when they die. A one-way gate leading from Dunia to the plain of water is believed to be the cause of the giant whirlpool in the middle of the Frostpull sea. When a tuskfolk dies, it is customary to place their body on a raft in the middle of the sea, and cast it into the whirlpool where they are judged by Maji. Those who pass travel to Icehearth, while those who fail are scattered in a cave under the seafloor. Abilities +2 to Strength, -4 to dexterity, +2 to constitution, and an additional +2 to either strength or constitution: '''Tuskfolk are as mighty, and as slow, as the glaciers they inhabit. '''Thick Hide: '''Tuskfolk gain a +1 bonus to natural armour. '''Medium: '''Tuskfolk do not gain any bonuses or penalties due to size. '''Languages: '''Tuskfolk begin play speaking their native tongue. They can learn common, aquan, draconic, elven, and tengu. '''Slow: '''Tuskfolk have a base speed of 20 feet. '''Arctic Trudger: '''Tuskfolk have adapted to their cold environment. They recieve a +4 to all constitution checks and fortitude saves to resist fatigue, exhaustion and nonlethal damage caused by running, forced marches, starvation, thirst and effects from cold environments. '''Stability: '''Tuskfolk are large and bulky, and recieve a +4 to resist trips and bull rushes. '''Waterborn: '''Tuskfolk are natural-born swimmers. They have a swim speed of 40 feet, recieve a +12 racial bonus to swim, and can take 10 on swim checks. '''Weapon Familiarity: '''All tuskfolk are proficient with boarding axes and greataxes. '''Hold Breath: '''Tuskfolk can hold their breath for a number of rounds equal to four times their constitution score. '''Clumsy Hands: Tuskfolk have clumsy flipper-hands that impede the finer detail required for spellcasting. They suffer from a 10% arcane spell failure chance when casting spells with somatic components. This stacks with other arcane spell failure chances. Category:Races and Cultures